The Cavs have six players who have been All-Stars in their careers: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Love and Kyle Korver.

That can be good ... or bad. Certainly defense remains a disaster, Saturday's 148-124 loss to Oklahoma City is the latest example.

The 148 points is the most the Cavs have ever allowed in a regular season game...that's right, EVER! And OKC could have probably scored 165 if needed.

Let's consider a few things:

1. When the Cavs won 19 of 21 games, they did it primarily without Thomas, Rose, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson.

2. At that point, the Cavs were starting James, Love, Jae Crowder, J.R. Smith and Jose Calderon. The bench was delivering high-impact minutes nearly every game. Wade led that unit, along with Korver, Channing Frye and Jeff Green. Cedi Osman played once in a while.

3. Things were in order. The starters knew who was starting. The bench players had a good idea when they were going in. Wade became a force with the second unit as the Cavs often increased their lead when they went to the bench.

4. Let's not jump to the conclusion that those nine players would lead the Cavs to a title. But they developed chemistry and continuity. Coach Tyronn Lue also had a comfort level of who to play at what point in the game.

5. Thompson returned, and that sent Frye to the bench. Thomas returned and that turned everything upside down because he dominates the ball and takes a lot of shots.

6. Now, Rose is back. The Cavs have four point guards: Thomas, Calderon, Rose and Wade. At times, Wade can play shooting guard. It's hard to find enough minutes to keep Thomas, Wade and Rose happy.

7. General manager Koby Altman knew Wade, Rose and Thomas all had a history of injuries. He wanted a lot of depth at point guard, compared to last season when the Cavs had a major weakness there.

8. Calderon bailed out the team when Rose and Thomas were hurt. He can accept not playing. He's 36 and never was a superstar. He knows how to stay ready.

9. Rose and Wade were always starters until this season. Wade has adapted well to the bench and been productive. But it can't be easy for him to sit and watch the fourth quarter -- especially when Thomas has been struggling in several games.

10. Not sure what to say about Rose. In his first two games back after missing nearly two months, he has shown some spark. He's scored 21 points in 34 minutes. He is a poor defender, but so are most of the Cavs guards other than Wade.

11. Rose is on a veteran minimum contract. When reasonably healthy, Rose still can be an asset. But can he stay healthy?

12. Smith and Thompson were core members of the 2016 title team. They are playing, but their roles aren't as significant as in that championship season. That can't be easy for them to accept. Smith looks utterly lost.

13. This is a talented but difficult roster. Lue has major egos to handle with players near the end of excellent careers. He will bruise some feelings. There will be more stories of players wondering about the direction of the team, especially if the losing continues.

14. Meanwhile, the Cavs remain a team with zero identity right now. They don't help each other on defense. They rank 27th in rebounding. They are soft and they are slow. They are playing with little pride, being blown out at home on national T.V.

15. The Cavs have lost 9-of-12. There is something very wrong with the roster, and it begs for a trade. So there we go, back into DeAndre Jordan rumors, etc. But it's also a chemistry issue. These guys often play as is they have never seen each other before.

ABOUT ISAIAH THOMAS

1. I asked former Cavs broadcaster Joe Tait if he can ever recall a situation like what the team has with Thomas. Here was the question: Can you think of a prominent Cavs player who missed all of training camp (hip injury) and nearly half the regular season before returning to action on a new team?

2. Tait and I searched through our musty memories. We couldn't come up with any notable Cavs attempting what Thomas is doing right now. That's why it's so hard to know how many minutes he should play, how his body will react, etc. This is uncharted territory not only for Thomas, but about everyone involved.

3. I recently spoke with Wayne Embry, long-time NBA player and front office executive. Now a consultant for the Toronto Raptors, he couldn't come up with a similar situation as Thomas and the Cavs.

4. Meanwhile, Thomas is frustrated because his jump shot comes and goes. When he struggles, he tends to shoot even more. He has fired up 96 shots in 172 minutes heading into the weekend. That's the team's highest shot/minute ratio. Thomas had his best game of the season with 24 points (8-of-14 shooting) in the loss to the Thunder -- perhaps the only encouraging part of the game for the Cavs.

5. For the Cavs to have any chance to win the Eastern Conference and compete with Golden State, they need Thomas playing relatively well and developing chemistry with his new teammates. That will take time.

6. Players such as Love, Smith and others have been losing shots to Thomas. That also was the case when Kyrie Irving was here, but this is a different dynamic because Thomas didn't have the preseason to blend in.

7. A lot will depend on Thomas. If he continues to grow stronger and plays well, many of the problems will disappear. But it will still be a challenge for Lue to figure out how to handle the veterans on his roster.

8. Finally, the team is a defensive embarrassment. That is the biggest challenge of all.